U.S. patent application number 11/673559 was filed with the patent office on 2008-11-06 for spreadsheet rotating cell object.
Invention is credited to James Matthew Slavens.
Application Number | 20080276161 11/673559 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39940449 |
Filed Date | 2008-11-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080276161 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Slavens; James Matthew |
November 6, 2008 |
Spreadsheet Rotating Cell Object
Abstract
The Spreadsheet Rotating Cell Object provides an improvement to
computer software spreadsheets which gives the computer user the
ability to invoke the aid of an animated rotating cell object which
rotates new data or data representations in and out of the
spreadsheet cell.
Inventors: |
Slavens; James Matthew;
(Lakewood, CO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JAMES M. SLAVENS
1160 PIERCE STREET, # 202
LAKEWOOD
CO
80214
US
|
Family ID: |
39940449 |
Appl. No.: |
11/673559 |
Filed: |
February 10, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
715/213 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 40/18 20200101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/213 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/00 20060101
G06F017/00 |
Claims
1. I claim: An animated rotating cell object, addition to a
computing system software spreadsheet application which provides
the capability to rotate data or data representations in and out of
a spreadsheet cell, wherein said animation will be of the form of a
three-dimensional geometrical object which appears on top of a
related spreadsheet cell and said animation disappears when one of
the surfaces or sides is selected, wherein through program or user
manipulation other, alternate content contained on alternate
surfaces of the object will be rotated in to be visible and used by
the spreadsheet cell, wherein after rotation one of the contents is
visible and used by the spreadsheet cell, wherein rotation may be
preset to occur either horizontally or vertically, wherein for
horizontal instances top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top rotation may be
used and for vertical instances right-to-left or left-to-right
rotation may be used, wherein two or more, up to an an unlimited
number of sides may be preset, wherein multiple instances of the
invention can be available and used on a single spreadsheet being
placed adjacent or non-adjacent to one another, and wherein said
multiple contents of a single instance of the invention can have
differing data sources, having one side being supplied by one data
source, and other sides being supplied by data from the same or
other sources.
2. The invention of claim 1, wherein rotation is accomplished by
user control using menu or other graphic manipulations by a
computing system input device.
3. The invention of claim 1, wherein data that has already been
rotated in and subsequently rotated out in favor of other data, can
also be rotated back in.
4. The invention of claim 1, wherein data sources can include but
not be limited to, user entry, representations such as formulas,
other spreadsheets that are grouped in the same spreadsheet
application file as the spreadsheet using the invention, other
cells on the same spreadsheet, spreadsheets located in another
file, other external data application programs, text files,
calculations and programming code.
5. The invention of claim 1, wherein the multiple data content of
the invention sides can be addressed, controlled, and used whether
visible to the user or not.
7. The invention of claim 1, wherein a single instance of the
invention, has settings, programming methods and properties
available to manipulate and address features of the invention.
12. The invention of claim 1, wherein the invention contains the
capability to be operated on by outside influences including
activities in other cells, other spreadsheets, programming, and
setup functions where conditional events within the spreadsheet
file have the capability to initiate rotation automatically.
13. The invention of claim 1, wherein the invention, once
established in a cell, contains the capability to be bypassed or
not used, so that alternate direct entry or other normal operations
of the cell are still available to the user.
14. The invention of claim 1, wherein the count of graphic sides of
the invention can be fewer than the count of data representations
supplying the invention, with the invention rotating through high
counts of data sets, while showing a limited number of graphic
sides.
15. The invention of claim 1, wherein multiple data contents of the
invention sides can be addressed, controlled, and used whether
visible to the user or not.
16. The invention of claim 1, wherein multiple instances of the
invention can be operated upon collectively, manipulated together
in unison representing whole ranges of cells rotating together.
17. The invention of claim 1, wherein multiple instances of the
invention as addressed together will have settings, programming
methods and properties available to manipulate and address features
of the associated, multiple instances of the invention.
18. The invention of claim 1, wherein upon changing the contents of
one or more of the sides of the invention using a secondary source,
such as but not limited to user direct entry, the invention may be
set up to ultimately change the primary linked data directly to the
original source and conversely the invention may be set up to
prohibit changes to the primary linked data source.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Almost since the invention of the personal computer,
computer software spreadsheets have been powerful applications for
users to view, arrange, manipulate and store data.
[0002] Spreadsheet software or applications are relatively
well-known and useful tools. Typical spreadsheet applications
simulate physical spreadsheets by capturing, displaying, and
manipulating data arranged in rows and columns. The intersecting
rows and columns create numerous cells within the spreadsheet.
Typically, each cell may contain an item of data and/or a
mathematical formula. In the past, users of computer software
spreadsheets typically entered data or data representations
directly into each cell. Other methods to provide data and
representations to the cell included copying and pasting the
contents from one cell to another or from another copy able data
source, importing data from another source, or linking one cell to
another source so that when the contents of the source changed so
too would the contents of the linked cell. Some spreadsheet
software or applications provided a general entry area which would
show a full-length representation of a selected cell. Later, more
flexibility was gained by certain forms of cell data validation, or
restrictions which provide selection from a pre-defined, limited
list of values where no other values could be entered into the
cell, except from those on the list. Also, cells and blocks of
cells could receive alternate data using scenarios and "what-it"
analysis functions within popular spreadsheet programs; but these
functions while useful required additional interfaces, screens and
menus, and alternate data was typically hand entered. Animated
manipulation of individual cells and contents has not been provided
for spreadsheets until this invention. Prior art is referenced, in
the following United States of America patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,973 April 1989 Hernandez et al. (IBM assignee:
A typical computer software spreadsheet.) U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,551
July 1998 Anderson et al. (Borland Software Corporation assignee:
Computer software spreadsheet page objects.) U.S. Pat. No.
5,880,742 November 1996 Rao et al. (Xerox-Corporation assignee: An
improvement to a spreadsheet.) U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,151 January 2001
Cahill et al. (Microsoft Corporation assignee: Storing objects in a
spreadsheet.) U.S. Pat. No. 6,701,485 June 1999 Igra et al.
(Microsoft Corporation assignee: Binding spreadsheet cells to
objects.) U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,675 June 1992 Greif et al. (Lotus
Development Corporation assignee: Spreadsheet validation sources.)
U.S. Pat. No. 6,438,565 February 1996 Ammirato et al. (Borland
Software Corporation assignee: Spreadsheet scenarios.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This invention takes the prior art to the next level,
providing the animated rotating in of data from a variety of
possible sources. Users can conveniently hypothesize changes to
data in a cell, as well as other related cells by rotating
differing data into that cell. This differing data can be entered,
linked, or calculated, and the user can change the sets of data
being rotated into the cell. Finally, a major improvement provided
by the invention is that multiple cells can experience rotations of
varying data together to create significant improvements in testing
and hypothetical data changing alternatives and user
convenience.
[0004] The invention is beneficial to spreadsheet users who wish to
easily test alternating effects of varied data, as provided to a
cell or cells in a spreadsheet. An example effect could include
testing informative values of displayed data from a different
organization or departments. Another effect could be to display
differing results upon adjacent data, when alternating data is
introduced to a cell. The value here is that many, multiple
alternating data representations can be easily rotated in for
differing effects--and the original or prior contents can be easily
rotated back in to review an alternative already considered. The
invention will be highly useful in testing mathematical and
scientific hypotheses, business planning and projections, and daily
spreadsheet use.
[0005] Like most other items in a spreadsheet this invention is an
object and can be directly addressable via computer programming
language or macros.
[0006] The invention may be implemented as a computer process, a
computing system or as an article of manufacture such as a computer
program product. The computer program product may be a computer
storage medium readable by a computer system and encoding a
computer program of instructions for executing a computer process.
The computer program product may also be a propagated signal on a
carrier readable by a computing system and encoding a computer
program of instructions for executing a computer process.
[0007] A more complete appreciation of the present invention and
its improvements can be obtained by reference to the accompanying
drawings, which are briefly summarized below, to the following
detailed description of presently exemplary embodiments of the
invention, and to the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
[0008] In the drawings, which form a part of this
specification,
[0009] FIG. 1 is a view with a 3-sided horizontal example with 3
contents, having two of the contents visible in mid rotation;
[0010] FIG. 1A is a view after the horizontal rotation in FIG. 1 is
completed;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a view with a 6-sided horizontal example with 6
contents, having three of the contents visible in mid rotation;
[0012] FIG. 2A is a view after the horizontal rotation in FIG. 2 is
completed;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a view with a 3-sided vertical example with 3
contents, having two of the contents visible in mid rotation;
[0014] FIG. 3A is a view after the vertical rotation in FIG. 3 is
completed;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a functional diagram illustrating a computer
environment and computing device operable to provide a task helper
according to the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a view of an example secondary visual graphic
providing a user of the invention with information and
user-manipulated settings including number of rotating sides,
sources of data, properties and other important settings;
[0017] FIG. 6 is a view of five horizontal instances of the
invention manipulated together in unison, and
[0018] FIG. 7 is a view of seven vertical instances of the
invention manipulated together in unison.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] Although the invention has been described in connection with
a preferred embodiment, it should be understood that various
modifications, additions and alterations may be made to the
invention by one skilled in the art without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended
claims.
[0020] With reference to the drawings and, in particular, with
reference to FIG. 1 the invention may be activated, by user control
using menu or by a computer input device, as an animated,
3-dimensional geometric rotating cell object, which provides the
capability to alternately, display and functionally contain
multiple contents 1 upon multiple surfaces of the object, including
text, values or representations, such as formulas, wherein after
rotation one of the contents is visible and used by the spreadsheet
2 and 3, and through program or user manipulation other, alternate
content may be rotated in to be visible and used by the
spreadsheet. Though not indicated in FIG. 1, top-to-bottom or
bottom-to-top would be the direction of rotation for the horizontal
instance.
[0021] As best seen in FIG. 1A a horizontal rotation is completed
where the Quantity figure of 2000 was rotated in to be the cell
contents 2, and the quantity figure of 20,000 is the related
mathematical result from the change 3.
[0022] An important feature of the invention includes that data
that has already been rotated in and subsequently rotated out in
favor of other data may also be rotated back in.
[0023] Multiple contents of a single instance of the invention can
have differing data sources, having one side being supplied by one
data source, and other sides being supplied by data from other
sources. An example could include sales results from Region 1's
server could supply one side while sales results from other
region's servers supply other sides of the invention. Data sources
can include but not be limited to, user entry, representations such
as formulas, other spreadsheets that are grouped in the same
spreadsheet application file as the spreadsheet using the
invention, other cells on the same spreadsheet, spreadsheets
located in another file, other external data application programs,
text files, calculations and programming code.
[0024] Once established in a cell, the invention has the capability
to be bypassed or not used, so that alternate direct entry or other
normal operations of the cell are still available to the user.
[0025] An unlimited number of sides may be selected for use. FIG. 2
indicates generally an example with 6 sides.
[0026] A single instance of the invention has settings, programming
methods and properties available to manipulate and address features
of the invention.
[0027] FIG. 2A indicates a view after the horizontal rotation in
FIG. 2 is completed. The count of graphic sides of the invention
can be fewer than the count of data representations supplying the
invention, with the invention rotating through high counts of data
sets, while showing a limited number of graphic sides. Multiple
data contents of the invention sides can be addressed, controlled,
and used whether visible to the user or not.
[0028] Upon changing the contents of one or more of the sides of
the invention using a secondary source, such as but not limited to
user direct entry, the invention may be set up to ultimately change
the primary linked data directly to the original source and
conversely the invention may be set up to prohibit changes to the
primary linked data source.
[0029] Rotation will occur either horizontally or vertically and
the invention can have an unlimited number of sides with FIG. 3
indicating a 3-sided vertical example with 3 contents, having two
of the contents visible in mid rotation with FIG. 3A indicating a
view after the vertical rotation in FIG. 3 is completed. Though not
indicated in FIG. 3, right-to-left or left-to-right would be the
direction of rotation for the vertical instance.
[0030] An established instance of the invention may be copied and
duplicated elsewhere and the invention has the capability to be
operated on by outside influences including activities in other
cells, other spreadsheets, programming, and setup functions where
conditional events within the spreadsheet file have the capability
to initiate rotation automatically. For example, if a source cell
is changed by the user and exceeds a certain value, automatic
rotation of the invention for another cell may be invoked to create
chains of scenario activity. Here, for further illumination, if a
salesman exceeds a quota significantly in one cell, a different
commission percentage may automatically rotate in to another cell,
to properly calculate and represent a company's compensation
policy.
[0031] An embodiment of a suitable operating environment in which
the present invention may be implemented is shown in FIG. 4. The
operating environment is only one example of a suitable operating
environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the
scope of use or functionality of the invention. Other well known
computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be
suitable for use with the invention include, but are not limited
to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop
devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems,
programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers,
mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that
include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.
[0032] With reference to FIG. 4, an exemplary computing environment
for implementing the embodiments of the present invention includes
a computing device, such as computing device 4. In its most basic
configuration, computing device 4 typically includes at least one
processing unit 5 and memory 6. Depending on the exact
configuration and type of computing device 4, memory 6 may be
volatile (such as RAM), non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory,
etc.), or some combination of the two. This most basic
configuration of the computing device 4 is illustrated in FIG. 4 by
dashed line 7.
[0033] Additionally, device 4 may also have additional
features/functionality. For example, device 4 may also include
additional storage (removable and/or non-removable) including, but
not limited to, magnetic or optical disks or tape. Such additional
storage is illustrated in FIG. 4 by removable storage 8 and
non-removable storage 9. Such computer storage media includes
volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media
implemented in any method or technology for storage of information
such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program
modules, or other data. Memory 6, removable storage 8, and
non-removable storage 9 are all examples of computer storage media.
Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM,
EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital
versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes,
magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage
devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired
information and which can be accessed by device 4 and processor 5.
Any such computer storage media may be part of device 4.
[0034] Device 4 may also contain communications connection(s) 10
that allow the device to communicate with other devices.
Communications connection(s) 10 is an example of communication
media. Communication media typically embodies computer readable
instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a
modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport
mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term
"modulated data signal" means a signal that has one or more of its
characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode
information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,
communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or
direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF,
infrared, and other wireless media.
[0035] Device 4 may also have input device(s) 11 such as keyboard,
mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device, etc. Output
device(s) 12, such as a display, speakers, printer, etc., may also
be included. These devices, either individually or in combination
can form the user interface used to display the spreadsheet
application with the expandable formula bar as described herein.
All these devices are well know in the art and need not be
discussed at length here.
[0036] Computing device 4 typically includes at least some form of
computer readable media, which can be some form of computer program
product. Computer readable media can be any available media that
can be accessed by processing unit 5. By way of example, and not
limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage
media and communication media. Computer storage media includes
volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media
implemented in any method or technology for storage of information
such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program
modules, or other data. Combinations of the any of the above should
also be included within the scope of computer readable media.
[0037] The user will have control of the setup of the invention;
FIG. 5 is a view of only one example of a secondary visual graphic
providing a user of the invention with information and
user-manipulated settings including number of rotating sides,
sources of data, properties and other important settings.
[0038] Multiple instances of the invention can be available and
used on a single spreadsheet being placed adjacent or non-adjacent
to one another. Multiple instances of the invention may be operated
upon collectively, manipulated together in unison having whole
ranges of cells rotating together as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7.
Multiple instances of the invention as collected together will have
programming methods and properties available to manipulate and
address features of the associated, multiple instances of the
invention
* * * * *